Yes, I’m back. Yes, I returned from my magical trip to Miraval. It was an AMAZING place. And as I sat here today working from home, wearing my Miraval tee shirt, (I treated myself to a long sleeve white tee with henna design on the back. I covered it with a smock so as not to get spaghetti sauce on it when I had dinner tonight. I must keep it pure forever…or at least until my next visit when I can buy another Miraval tee.) I thought about my trip to warm and sunny Tucson, it sure enthused me more than the snow and ice that was glaring outside my window.

Morning Yoga
Yes, I’m back in chilly, cold, wet New Jersey and wishing I could return to enjoy the magic of my Miraval spa vacation all over again. I reminisced about my day by day activities – the daily yoga classes with Natasha and MaryGrace. I walked under the trellis each morning to get to the Agave Center which looked out over the mountains. I listened and watched the hummingbirds as they greeted me on my morning walks. I stretched and stood tall in Mountain pose and pondered what my next move would be…could I reach the floor or would I need to use my blocks…and then there was silence as we all said ‘namaste.’

My Equine Experience
Yes, I’m back at work, but living with more intention. I’m trying to put into practice what I learned during the Miraval Equine Experience. I performed, as the course says, equestrian ground skills. Using my mind and my body, I actually moved with intention and lifted the horse’s hoof so I could clean it’s foot. I stood at the center of the horse’s body and turned him around and I walked behind the horse to lead him around the corral, dropping the stick when I wanted him to stop.

I was so proud of myself. I was totally open to learning something new about myself and I did. I learned that if I want to lead, I need to be intent on what I want the outcome to be…I need to know what I want…and then I can make it happen….just like I did with the horse. I listened to our facilitator Wyatt…the wise Wyatt…as he told us to live our life in the moment…to practice Wyatt’s three steps:

1 – To try something, recognize if it is not working;
2- To try something else;
3- And if that doesn’t work, ask for help.

A Makeup Lesson With Mary
Yes, I’m back at home, my laundry basket is full of clothes. I wore most of my LUCY exercise attire. I lived in my yoga pants all week. I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in my yoga pants and tees.
There was no makeup to speak of for an entire week, except the day I had my makeup lesson with Mary. She did such a nice job on my eyes and on my face. She said we should always make up our eyes first and then put the rest of our foundation on. She used mineral makeup so it was lighter on my wrinkles. I almost gave in and bought the La Bella Donna Mineral Eraser (but I stopped myself right before my hand reached for my credit card. “Not today,” I said to myself. “Not today.” “You can find this makeup at Bergdorfs and Neiman’s,” said Mary. “Oh, how fabulous,” I replied as Mary wrote down the specific colors that she used. “I will definitely pay a visit and buy my La Bella Donna Mineral Eraser when I return home.” And I will soon. Yes, I will after I pay off all the bills from my spa vacation. Meantime, I asked Mary to take a picture of me so I can remember how beautiful I looked with all my La Bella Donna makeup.)

The Spectacular Spa
Yes, I’m getting ready for sleep. However, there is no hot stone massage to look forward to or reflexology to relax my feet and toes. (These treatments were the best of the best. Oh, yes, and so was the indoor/outdoor Miraval Journey Signature Treatment – I was in la, la, land the minute Tama wrapped me up like a mummy and massaged my head.)

A World Filled with Lovingkindness
No, there is no massage waiting for me…but, I can do my evening meditation because I did buy Mary Grace’s CD filled with her LovingKindness Meditation Here’s the one I’m going to do tonight before I go to sleep. This one was my favorite and I think you’ll like it too. It’s from Jack Kornfeld’s A Path With Heart:

May I be filled with lovingkindness.
May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease.
May I be happy.
May (a person I love) be filled with lovingkindness
May (a person I love) be well…

There’s more to report and share from my magical trip to Miraval. For now, I leave you with this meditation. I think it beautifully captures a little bit of the magic I took away from my week at Miraval. Yes, there are many more sites and sounds to share, including my rock climbing adventure, the fabulous food and the wonderful people I met. I’ll save that for another day.

Judi